Unit 1: American Geography

Unit Description

The United States has different kinds of land, bodies of water, and climates. It has many valuable natural resources, too. In this unit, students will learn what makes the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest and West Regions in the United States unique. Students will come to generalizations about how crops grow in different regions and how geography and resources can affect a region’s economy and how people live. Students will also understand how land changes over time due to natural disasters and human actions

Essential Question

How does geography affect the way we live?

Themes

  • We rely on evidence from multiple perspectives to construct accounts of the past.
  • A region’s geography and climate affects how people live.

Standards Addressed

  • 4.1.4 Produce clear and coherent writing. (Emphasis: Argument statements)
  • 4.4.1 Locate and label continents, oceans, the poles, hemispheres, key parallels and meridians on a map and globe
  • 4.4.2 Locate and label on a map the major physical features of each of the five regions of the United States and summarize how they affect the climate, economy, and population of each region
  • 4.4.3 Identify the states of each of the five regions of the United States
  • 4.4.4 Measure approximate distance on a map using scale to the nearest hundredth mile
  • 4.4.5 Determine the approximate longitude and latitude coordinates of various locations in the United States
  • 4.4.6 Interpret various types of maps using a key/legend, compass rose including cardinal and intermediate directions, latitude/longitude, and scale
  • 4.5.1 Compare and contrast the distinguishing physical characteristics of the five regions of the United States
  • 4.5.2 Analyze how physical characteristics of a region shape its economic development
  • 4.5.3 Identify and explain how the physical characteristics of a region influenced human settlement
  • 4.6.1 Illustrate how natural process have created and/or changed the physical characteristics of places in the United States
  • 4.6.2 Describe the human impact on the land and bodies of water of the five regions of the United States

Unit Outcomes

Students will know:

  • The location of continents, oceans, hemispheres, poles, meridians and parallels
  • How to find latitude and longitude AND how to plot a location on a map using coordinates
  • How to find approximate distance
  • How to interpret maps using the key/legend
  • The states of each of the five US regions
  • The names of the five regions in the United States.
  • Distinct physical features located in the five regions of the United States
  • The importance of physical features and climate of a region on its economic development
  • The influence that physical features have on human settlement
  • Natural disasters of each region and how natural disasters can disrupt an economy
  • How humans use the land and natural resources of a region to meet their needs

Students will be able to:

  • Annotate documents
    • Use the different steps for different types of documents when analyzing their contents
  • Source documents
    • Identify author’s point of view/position on a historical event
    • Identify author’s purpose in producing the document
    • Consider the source’s audience
  • U1: Strong body paragraphs
    • TOSEEC
    • Topic Sentences
    • 2 types of evidence

Unit Vocabulary

  1. map legend – a list of shapes and symbols used on a map with an explanation of each
  2. compass rose – a symbol that shows direction on a map
  3. cardinal directions - north, south, west, east
  4. intermediate directions – northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest
  5. scale – gives the ratio between distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground
  6. continent - the world's 7 main expanses of land (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America)
  7. geography- the study of the Earth’s surface and the way people use it
  8. region- an area with at least one feature that sets it apart from other areas
  9. physical feature- natural land forms such as mountains and lakes
  10. land form - a natural feature on the Earth’s surface
  11. natural resource- A resource humans use that comes from the Earth
  12. port: a city, a town or other place where ships load or unload
  13. climate- the weather conditions of an area over a long period of time
  14. fertile soil: land that is able to grow and sustain crops
  15. economy- the wealth and resources of a country or region
  16. agriculture- farming
  17. desert- a dry, sandy area with little vegetation or rainfall
  18. natural disaster - a natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage or loss of life
  19. hurricane - a storm with a violent wind
  20. coastal erosion- The loss of wetlands along the Southeast coast